After the Museum
by Reena Catheryn
Summary: At the end of the musical, Radames and Aida spot each other as they stand in front of the tomb in a modern day museum. I was cast as Aida in this production this past summer and to get a little closer to my character, I wanted to know how the two would react upon meeting hundreds of lifetimes later. I did a short scene with my Radames, which I then developed into this story.


The lovers were put in the tomb and buried beneath the sands of Egypt, but not before Radames made his promise to Aida. He promised her that no matter how many lifetimes it took him, he would find her again. He would find her in a world where they could be together. One hundred lifetimes later, he is about to fulfill that promise.

Adelaide took a breath as she pushed open the doors of the museum. Lately she'd been having strong feelings of de ja vu. She'd been browsing the day-old newspaper that someone left on the table of her local Starbucks when she saw an advertisement for the new exhibit at the museum. It was an Egyptian exhibit centered around a tomb, which apparently told the greatest true love story of all time. She smoothed her sundress as she lifted her sunglasses from her head, nerves twisting in her stomach like a set of heavy ropes. Why was she nervous?

On the other side of the room Adam searched the room hopefully. Adam was no ordinary human. He had lived a hundred lifetimes throughout history, starting with Ancient Egypt. Every time he was reborn, he would grow up oblivious and then on his eighteenth birthday have an epiphany on each of his previous lifetimes, and what his purpose was in this new lifetime. His purpose was always the same: find Aida. Long ago, in ancient Egypt Adam had been a Captain in the Pharaoh's army. He had been called Radames. His father, a high priest, arranged for him to marry his childhood friend, and the princess, Amneris. However, Radames never wanted marriage. It was true, he did love Amneris as a brother might love a sister, but he was always a free spirit who preferred to explore the world. That was until he brought home captives, among them a rebellious Nubian named Aida. She was different than the rest of the Nubians he had brought back with him. She dared defy him. She tried to slice the neck of one of his soldiers. Out of pure curiosity Radames had spared her and her fellow Nubians by giving them cushy slavework. She became a handmaiden for Amneris. But everyone that Aida met, she made an impression on. She did not act as a normal slave would. Before long, Radames fell in love with Aida. And despite her better judgment and her duty to her country, Aida fell in love with Radames too. They held a secret romance much to the dismay of Radames' trusted servant and Nubian, Mereb. But when Aida's father was captured, she made the decision to leave Radames and help her father escape back to Nubia. Radames, not knowing that her father was the great Nubian King Amanosro, agreed to marry Amneris so that Aida could escape.

Things did not go as planned during the escape because Aida couldn't bring herself to leave Radames without a final goodbye, where he discovered that she was the Princess. Mereb, in a final act of loyalty to his Princess, died protecting the lovers from Radames' angry father Zoser. Amanosro escaped alone, but Aida and Radames were discovered by the Pharaoh's guards. Amneris, who still loved them both even after being betrayed by her closest friends, exercised her newfound power to allow the lovers to be buried together, which was completely taboo. Before they died, Radames swore to Aida that even if it took 100 lifetimes, he would find her again so that they could live happily forever.

Adam was disappointed that it had, in fact, taken 100 lifetimes. This lifetime in 2012 was his 100th lifetime and he knew he would find Aida now. He did not know whether she would remember him or whether she had lived many lifetimes without him. This was the first lifetime when he had felt a strong pull to an area. The second he arrived in New York and saw the sign advertising the exhibit of his tomb… he knew she would be drawn there. So he sat in the museum, day after day, observing the artifacts and waiting for the love of his eternity to walk in.

Adelaide, who called herself Addie, wandered from artifact to artifact. Some of the things brought happy chills and others scared her. A large wax model of the Pharaoh Amneris made her tear up, though she couldn't say why. There was a mock tent set up, which was supposedly modeled after a Captain's tent. There were some wine jugs Nubians had used to serve at parties. Many clothing items and some statues of the deities which the Egyptians had worshipped. It was the giant tomb that loomed in the center of the room that really gave her chills. She circled it from the back, not wanting to peer into it, but being drawn to it at the same time.

Adam caught sight of her the moment she walked into the room. He watched carefully, not wanting to overwhelm her, as she carefully made her way around the entire exhibit before circling the back of the tomb. She let her fingers brush it gently before pausing at the side. Adam took his chance and made his way quickly to the other side. Timing it perfectly, he approached the front at the exact moment she did. Her eyes looked up as his did and the small intake of breath she took lasted a lifetime before a small smile spread on her face.

"It's really remarkable, isn't it?" she breathed lightly. Adam's smile dropped. She did not recognize him. His hope was rekindled, though, when he realized he'd finally found her.

"I suppose. I noticed you admiring it from across the room and you just looked like you had a few questions," he told her in a friendly tone, wanting to start a conversation.

"Admiring? More like horrified. I just can't believe two people would be buried alive because they loved each other. How is that a crime," she wondered, more to herself than to the strange man standing across from her.

"I agree the custom was… gory at best, but the times were different. I was, I mean Radames embarrassed the Pharaoh by loving an enemy, a woman viewed as dirt," Adam explained matter-of-factly.

"You seem like an expert on the subject," the beautiful woman across from him raised her eyebrow in suspicion.

"I'm an Egyptian History major at NYU," he shrugged with a blush, trying to fit into the times.

"No kidding. I'm a fashion major," she smiled, opening up significantly.

"Isn't it a small world? Would you like to grab lunch with me?" he asked innocently and she paused, gnawing on her lip and twisting her fingers like she had always done 100 lifetimes ago.

"Uh, sure. Lunch would be great," she agreed, following him away from the eerie tomb and out of the museum.

"I'm Adam, by the way," he introduced himself, jogging down the steps and zipping up his hoodie to protect himself from the fall wind.

"Adelaide, but I go by Addie. So what makes you so interested in history? I've always been bored by it," she laughed in return as she followed him to a popular NYU lunch spot.

"To be honest, that love story, which is why I've been to the exhibit every day since it opened," Adam answered with a laugh.

"Really? I don't know much about it, but it seems like something anyone would be ridiculously lucky to have a love that strong… and a friend like that Pharaoh…"

"They were, at least from everything I read," Adam confirmed as they stepped into the little café.

"Hi I'll have the bacon double cheeseburger, and a coffee" Adelaide ordered as she pulled out her wallet with a smile. Adam shook his head, suppressing a laugh. Aida had always been a strong woman with a hearty appetite.

"No, my treat," he shook his head, pushing her wallet down. "Yeah I'll have a BLT with everything on it and a coca cola," he ordered as well, sliding his card through before Addie could object.

"Seriously though, their love story could have gone so differently. What if they had to die separately? Or what if their death was something more gruesome? Or worse… one of them could have betrayed the other," Addie pondered as they wandered to a near window table, holding their drinks and receipt.

"But they didn't. They stayed true to their love, like so many others weren't able to. Forbidden love stories have always fascinated me, and I guess I lose points off my man-card for that, but I don't mind," Adam joked, adopting the vernacular of the century so that he didn't seem too suspicious.

"Don't worry, I won't tell any guys," Addie laughed as she stirred her coffee and stared out the window, content. The feeling of de ja vu was gone for the moment and she felt completely at peace with this total stranger who claimed to be a student at her school.

"I don't care. If they can't see the beauty in that story… they don't deserve my friendship," he replied with a light-hearted shrug.

"Still…what do you think about that last part of the story? I mean clearly, that part has to be fictional. How could anyone know what the two of them said once they were placed in the tomb? They were buried alive," Addie pointed out, referring to the promise Radames had made her those many years ago.

"Actually, it was custom for the guards to stay at the tomb for seven hours before placing it in its permanent home underground. They had to make sure the prisoners didn't try to escape. It also extended the death longer. With a little oxygen sneaking in through the cracks of the tomb, their suffocation would take longer. The guards reported the conversation, but it was dismissed by the Pharaoh Amneris. She claimed she dismissed it because it was harmless and impossible for someone to live one hundred lifetimes, but I speculate that she dismissed it because she secretly wanted the lovers to be happy," Adam admitted with a small smile, remember his fiancée. She had a heart of gold beneath her shallow exterior.

"I guess they were lucky to have such a tried and true friend," Addie agreed simply. They lapsed into a comfortable, momentary silence as Adam marveled over the woman he had been searching for, for one hundred lifetimes. She hadn't changed a bit, yet she was a completely different person. He was positive that she'd grown up with a different background and had different interests, though her interest in clothing and fashion clearly had not changed. With joy, Radames discovered he didn't care about any of that. He knew that deep down, his Aida was there and would love him just the same as she had in ancient Egypt. The differenced didn't bother him because he had changed too. He had lived thousands of years and experienced many different lives. Yet each had similarities to others. He was always privileged, upper-class and had often served in various militaries, quickly climbing the ranks to Captain. This lifetime, though, his pull to Aida had kept him from the military. He knew that majoring in something at NYU was the place where he would discover her, though he didn't know how.

As Adam sat, gazing admiringly at her, Addie fought the urge to blush. A part of her knew she should be creeped out by the complete stranger she had just met, who bought her lunch, and was now openly staring at her. For all she knew, he could be waiting to kill her. But a larger, more dominant part of her, was filled with some strange overwhelming euphoria. She felt as though she'd been waiting a very long time to meet this man. If she had been a shy or reserved person, she would have just chuckled nervously and dismissed the thought, but Addie had never been reserved. She'd always been bold and outright about everything. Her father had lovingly called her his little firecracker, though he'd been a little disappointed when she chose not to follow in his footsteps and become a politician. He thought she'd have just the personality, but she had leaned away from the commitment, knowing she would often make decisions for herself and not the people she was supposed to vote for. Her father was mayor of Rochester and aiming to run for governor next term. If she knew anything about her father, he would one day run for President of the United States and win. With her bold personality in mind, she tossed caution to the wind and directed her gaze directly into the stranger's eyes.

"Do I know you from somewhere? It's just that you seem incredibly familiar and I feel like we were good friends once, but I usually have a pretty good memory and I don't remember you from anywhere," she asked outright, not embarrassed at her outburst and not releasing her eye contact with Adam. He faced a predicament just then. He should have known better. He knew she would sense a connection and that she would want immediate answers. He couldn't tell her, because she would freak out. But he couldn't hide it from her either.

"Yes, you do, but I'm afraid how you know me is a lot more complex than you could comprehend right now and I don't want you to be scared of me if I tell you," he said honestly, deciding that above all else Aida had always wanted to be honest to him and for him to be honest to her.

"Try me," she challenged evenly.

"Do you believe in reincarnation?" his tone was calm and her eyes were suspicious.

"I've played around with the idea, but even if it was possible nothing suggests that you could remember your past lives," she answered him, making sure she knew where the exits were in case the guy really was crazy.

"Do you believe in a divine being or beings?"

"Like God?" she cocked her head, not understanding what that had to do reincarnation.

"Yes, or multiple deities," he clarified.

"Well I've always believed there was something bigger than us, but I've never liked any of the organized religions I've come across. So I just live life as a good person and hope that the bigger force of life appreciates that," she shrugged, really beginning to wonder why she was explaining her religious views to a complete nutcase stranger.

"Then doesn't it make sense that with divine help, one could remember your past lives? All or some of them? And did you ever question why we should be reincarnated?" he continued to give her questions to ponder.

"Are you sure you're not majoring in religion and philosophy?" she teased, beginning to feel more uneasy as the questions got more complex. He shrugged and eyed her, expecting an answer. "I guess I always assumed people who were reincarnated where getting a second chance because they died needlessly, or made a major mistake they regretted or something," she said quietly, not liking where the conversation was going.

"I have to agree with that opinion, and maybe your divine force will confirm your theory for you. Whenever you're ready to remember me, give me a call," he said, sliding a napkin with his cell phone number on it across the table. He gave her one last longing smile before strolling out of the café, leaving her dumbstruck and uncomfortable at the table.

He hadn't wanted to leave. He had finally found the love of eternity and he was walking away from her, but he knew that Aida had to come to the realization on her and he knew she would. Surely Isis and his fellow gods would not grant the lovers their love and then deny them on the final obstacle. So he went home to his apartment and sat by the telephone, waiting for her phone call. Hours passed, and soon the weekend was over and Adam had classes to attend, but Radames did not attend them. He sat by the phone, eating only what he could order in. He slept with his phone in hand and changed into a simple t-shirt with jeans. He showered once or twice. Finally on the seventh day, the phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered, trying to press down his anxiousness as he waited to hear her voice.

"Dude! Where have you been? I thought you died or something. You haven't been in class all week and you missed Becky's party. It was wild Adam!" came the deeper tone of his close friend Noah, who reminded him very much of Mereb because he was fiercely loyal and comedic but not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

"Oh sorry I went on a trip back home to see my Dad, just got back last night," he lied easily.

"You went back home and didn't tell me?" Noah sounded doubtful.

"Yeah it was unexpected, Dad wanted to try and get to marry another rich girl," Adam rambled, hoping Noah would get bored soon and hang up so the phone line would be clear.

"You're dad's a nutcase. Anyway, I got a date. See you in class tomorrow!" his friend said cheerfully before hanging up. Radames sighed and glanced at his watch, wondering where the pizza he had ordered 45 minutes ago was. As if the pizza guy could hear his thoughts the bell rang. He heaved himself off the couch and walked to the door, grabbing cash on his way. He swung open the door, counting out bills as he did so.

Suddenly, he was attacked in a fierce hug and feminine lips were traveling all over his face. Caught by surprise he pulled away for only a moment to glance at the face of his attacker. He grinned when he saw who it was. His heart swelled with love and joy.

"Radames. You kept your promise. You found me," she whispered happily.

"I said I would, Aida," he replied with a smile before he took her lovingly in his arms and shut the door, forgetting all about pizza.

A love so strong, it never died.

~The End~

**Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed it! It actually took me weeks to write the way I wanted it. And appropriately, I wrote the very last words of this scene just as the last notes of "Every Story is a Love Story" played out… as Aida and Radames met at the tomb one hundred lifetimes later :') **


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